—Chapter6 Tom alone

Tom pulled the door to his small one bedroom apartment shut and tossed his keys into a small ceramic bowl atop a small end table he’s owned since high school. He always told himself that he needed to hang a proper key ring one day but had yet to get around to actually doing it. The sound of his keys hitting the bowl echoed through the small living room. Walking past his small, two seater couch, facing a small tv, he arrived at his small kitchen. “Am I actually back home?” There was still a bottle of cheap whisky and a dirty glass on the table. Even after beginning to go to the gym somewhat regularly, his old bad habits were still a daily presence in his life. He turned on his kitchen sink. The water sputtered out, getting the front of his shirt slightly wet along with a decent bit of the surrounding countertop. It was another item on his “to do” list left unchecked for the foreseeable future. 

He looked up through the small window behind his sink. Normally his view consisted of a grassy area in the middle of his apartment complex. There would often be a group of people cooking food on a small grill and kids would play on a swing set built into a sand pit. That was not the view today however. The window was a mat wall of soft natural light. It bore no discernible detail of the outside world, merely offering the illusion of a functioning window. “This is another dream, isn’t it?” He asked no one but received an answer nonetheless. 

“Clever boy,” he did not need to turn around to recognize Hinba’s voice. It was quieter than normal. It did not have the same booming presence that he had grown accustomed to. When he turned to look at the source of the voice, he saw Hinba but scaled to human size. She still had her red skin, purple eyes, horns, and white hair. She still wore the same skirt and chest piece made from rough black leather. Her smile still had the same mischievous glint that betrayed her predatory nature. It was all so familiar yet so intensely foreign when she was this size, still a foot taller than Tom but nowhere near her normal height. 

“Why are we here?” 

She motioned to the room, “You mean, ‘why are we in your apartment?’” Tom nodded. “Well I wanted to see where my little human lived.” A toothy grin plastered her face. 

Acting on shear instinct, he eyed the door to his apartment. Maybe, if he were to make it outside he could somehow wake himself up. It was worth a try. He moved forward, giving Hinba a wide berth in case she tried to lunge at him. She just stood there, watching him like he was a rat stuck in a cage. Tom grabbed the handle of his front door knob, and tried to pry it open. It was jammed. He started to panic as he began slamming his whole body into the door in a vain attempt to break through it. 

Behind him, Hinba started to laugh, and as she did so the whole building started to shake. The singular framed picture that hung on his wall fell to the ground as the walls started to crack. Her laughter quickly subsided as she noticed the shaking walls. “Sorry!” she yelled, grabbing her stomach. “I always forget about my pelvic floor . . .” her other hand covering her face as she spoke. 

 “Am I... still...” he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to his question, or even how to ask. 

Her gaze met his as one of her hands drifted down to her navel, “Are you still what?” she asked as she closed the gap between them. She was using her bedroom voice again. The one she used to previously to calm Tom down but really just put him more on edge. 

His cheeks flushed red, “You know what I mean!” he yelled through grit teeth. 

She stopped directly in front of him, moving her face inches away from him. “Are you still tucked away, deep inside me?” she put her mouth right next to his ear, “Right where you belong?” he could feel her warm breath on his ear, fighting back the urge to scream. “Yes. Yes you are my little pet. I have you right where I want you, and you’re going to stay right there,” she audibly tapped her navel, “until I’m done playing with you” 

“Why are you doing this to me?” Tom was desperate for the madness to make sense. 

“I needed you to be close to me to give you this.” She tapped his chest through his shirt. “Go ahead, cutie, look at my handiwork.” 

Tom opened his mouth to speak but didn’t say anything. Rather, he just pulled on the collar of his shirt to look down at his chest. There was a black marking not unlike a tattoo sprawled on his torso. He took a step forward to remove his shirt so he could get a better look. It was a simple black star that had five points and stretched across his entire chest. “What did you do to me?!” 

“Don’t be silly, I already told you. That’s my spell. It will help me keep tabs on you.” she made another motion to the room, “It’s what helps me reach into your mind. As the connection strengthens, I’ll learn more and more about you until there is nothing that you can hide from me,” in what seemed like a flash, she was at his side again, “I’ll know your every thought, all your hopes and dreams, all your tricks and schemes.” her voice slowed to a crawl, “no matter where you are, I’ll always be able to reach you. You’re not going to be able to escape the inevitable.” 

She backed away slightly and walked behind Tom, tracing a finger across the back of his neck. That all too familiar dread seeped into his bones, but he was starting to feel numb to it. “Inevitable?” He asked.  She’s taken everything from him except his life. That only means he knows exactly what he has left to lose. “What’s stopping you? You made me give myself to you just a moment ago. Why can’t you do that to me again?” 

“Oh?” she stepped back a moment, feigning a shocked expression. “So you think I have the ability to place a charm on you to just walk into my mouth and let me gulp you down? And?... “ scrunching her shoulders, “And didn’t use it on you the moment we first met?” Her hand touched her forehead, “Maybe it just slipped my mind?” 

Tom knew she would keep going until he put the pieces together, “Do you expect me to believe that I was acting on my own?” He backed away but she moved closer. Her body brushing against his as he backed into the wall. 

“Believe whatever you want, but the truth is quite simple,” her face pressed into Tom’s neck causing him to visibly cringe at the invasion. “You wanted this. You wanted to feel what it was like to be swallowed up by my hungry cunt.” She put her face directly in front of his and held his cheeks with both hands so he could not look away. “Do you want to know the best part?” Tom did not want to know what the ‘best part’ was but he knew she was going to tell him. “You love it. You love every minute of it. I know deep down you secretly love being my plaything… my toy.” 

“No.” He tried to look away but she held him there. 

“I can still feel it, know you? Your hard cock pressing into me. Even when you're unconscious, your body is still letting me know how much it appreciates my . . .  hospitality” she let go of his face only to grab his hand. He didn’t resist as she pressed his hand against her stomach and then guided down beneath her leather skirt to rest just slightly above her womanhood. “Just think, if I so much as sneeze with you in there. . . I might just snuff you out. You and your hard cock, all crushed in an instant.” 

He had enough. With as much force as he could muster, he pushed against Hinba. To his surprise, it worked. She was pushed back but not before grabbing his arms and pulling him along. With a precise rotation she spun around as Tom lost his balance. He fell forward and tried to right himself on the ground. Hinba was too quick. All she had to do was use her weight to sit on his chest and he was pinned again in an instant, with his arms pressed against his sides. 

“What do you want from me?!” he screamed. 

“It took you long enough! I was begging to think you just really enjoyed being trapped inside me.” her fingers were free to trace up and down Tom’s chest as she spoke. “I haven’t fully forgiven you for lying to me about my missing people and you’re going to make it up to me” 

Tom felt whiplash in more ways than one at the sudden shift in the conversation, “You said earlier that you only needed to place that spell on me then we would go to the worldstone. You didn’t say anything about another favor.” 

“True. well if you don’t want to help me i guess i could just keep you in here,” one hand tapped her crotch while the other twirled above her head. “-until we arrive. It’ll take the same amount of time for me but it’ll feel much longer to you.” she leaned in closer, “I’m sure we could find something to do to occupy our time...” Her hips started to move in small circles on his chest, daring him to remain obstinate. 

“God damnit,” His voice cracked, “Just tell me what you want.” 

“Nope, I think I'll just keep you in here. Love the apartment by the way.”  She motioned about.

“Hinba!” he screamed. 

“Oh alright,” she stretched upright again. “Remember those strange markings you saw on the walls of the buildings in the town? You described them as having a reddish char.” Tom nodded but let her continue. “It’s kind of a long shot but I know a Naga that uses amber stones to channel her magic.” 

“Am I supposed to know what a “naga” is? Is she like you?” Tom moved his head to try to emphasize her height. It was a simple gesture but she took his meaning. 

“No. She’s not as large as me, but still plenty big enough to kill a human.” 

Tom closed his eyes and smacked the back of his head against the floor. “So, what then? Do we just go talk to her?” he asked. 

“Yes, you are going to ask her about the town. See if she knows anything.” 

He raised an eyebrow, “I’m going alone? Why can’t you ask her?”

Hinba put her hands on her hips, “She doesn’t like talking to me.” her lips curled into a fake pout, “if she hears me coming, she’ll hide and we’ll never find her... but if you go alone...” her eyes lit up with her smile, “She won’t be able to resist a lone human walking around.”

“‘Resist?’” Tom really hated her choice of words. 

“She’ll see you as a quick meal.” came her blunt response. 

Tom looked around his illusionary apartment to weigh his options of just staying in his dream. She would be crazy to think he would agree to such a dangerous endeavor. “I’m trying to get home, not get eaten. Find someone else to-” 

“She won’t harm you” Hinba tapped his chest ,“Just show her that you belong to me and she won’t lay a finger on you.” 

She really wanted his help. That much he knew. She would not be trying so hard to convince him to help if she could think of another way. A small part of his mind wanted to push the issue, to really see how badly she needed his help. It was the same part of him that wanted some small bit of control back. Hinba believed he “belonged” to her, and Tom intensely needed to prove her wrong. 

His thoughts were interrupted. “Also watch out for Blue. she was the Yōkai you met before. She won’t harm you either but she does love to chase you little humans.” 

“She’s still alive?” he shot back. 

“She’s tough.” came the laconic response. 

Tom had already decided that he was going to help but it was now or never to regain some level of control back from the situation. “Look, I want to help but I really don’t want to go anywhere near Blue ever again.” He stated, and waited for her response. 

Her face twisted. Tom wasn’t sure what to make of it at first. The walls started to crack and warp as the entire room started to crumble. She brought one hand to her nose and another held up a single index finger as she clamped her eyes shut. “Hang on I have to-” she didn’t finish the sentence but Tom knew it was a sneeze. 

His eyes went wide. She began to inhale in a manner indicative of her body reacting on its own while Tom screamed for a very different reason. She pinched her nose. The walls burst inward and his mind went blank. 

—-

“Don’t!” Tom screamed as he shot upright. He was naked again, the black star tattoo splayed across his chest. His skin was still sticky and had the distinct odor of Hinba’s sex. He spotted his clothes that were tossed in a pile on the ground. “I’m back in the forest?” The trees were a dead give away. 

There wasn’t much Tom could do to brush off the lingering residue. After giving up, he put back on his clothes and looked around. The desert was long gone, replaced with a sea of tall trees and foliage. They bore the same gnarled roots he recognized from his first day in this land. There was a small arrow carved into the dirt pointing down a snaking snaking pathway, no doubt left by Hinba. He rubbed the tattoo on his chest. Something about it felt wrong, as if there were a set of eyes trained on his every movement. 

“Let’s get this over with.” He groaned as he started walking. 

—- 

After walking for a time, Tom felt a chill in the air and stopped walking to look around. “Fucking damn it, Here we go.” He saw the towering blue skinned giant staring directly at him. “Just don’t run. Stand still.” Tom remembered what Hinba had told him and made no attempt to flee, opting to stand and face the approaching giant. His mind screamed to run but he remained still. 

After taking a moment to size up the human, Blue moved towards Tom, half walking half crawling over the exposed root, careful not to touch the exposed ground. The way she moved without making a single iota of sound was infinitely unnerving. “Hello there.” Her voice was angelic and feminine. “What are you doing all the way out here all by yourself?” 

Tom wanted this to be a quick reunion so he could continue on his way. Every moment he wasted talking was another moment he was trapped in the god forsaken forest. “I’m traveling with Hinba.” He pulled the collar of his shirt down to reveal the top of his tattoo. “She’s sent me on an errand and will be expecting me back soon.” 

Blue leaned in close, getting within feet of Tom to inspect the marking of his chest. She was still careful to keep off the ground. “That’s too bad, her magic always tastes terrible.” Satisfied that the human was telling the truth she moved away. “Well I’ll let you get back to your owner” she said through a wide smile. 

That was surprisingly painless, Tom thought to himself. “Nice seeing you again.” He said dryly. It wasn’t nice to see her again but certain pleasantries had become second nature over the years. 

“Again?” She was still moving on but the question hung in the air. Blue regarded him one more time before shrugging it off, “I guess I forgot.” She started to hum as she disappeared from view.

Comfortable that she was out of earshot, “Well fuck you too.” Tom muttered under his breath then continued on his way. 

—- 

Tom could feel his legs beginning to tire. He wasn’t sure how much longer he would need to walk. The forest seemed to go on forever. When he was carried around, the environment seemed to change almost too quickly as they traveled. The true scope of the forest was much greater than he really could have anticipated. 

As his mind wandered, he spotted a stray tree branch that had fallen onto the pathway. Stepping over it was easy enough but he stopped walking forward. Tom wanted to try something. Stepping backward, put his weight on the branch. The sound it made seemed to echo through the trees with an eerie snap. He froze for a moment to appreciate the noise as it faded away. 

He was tired of walking, it was time to try something else, “It would be a real shame if someone were following me!” His voice was thick with sarcasm as he called out, breaking the stillness. 

“Alright that’s far enough!” A voice came from the forest. 

Tom stuck his hand up in the universal symbol for surrender. “Can I face you?” He didn’t want to risk overstaying his welcome. 

“Tell me what you’re doing here.” 

Tom slowly turned around, keeping his hands in the air. “I’m here on Hinba’s behalf. I have one question for you then I’ll be on my way. I promise I don’t want any trouble.” He slowly pulled the collar down on his shirt, careful not to make any sudden movements and waited for the disembodied voice to reveal itself. 

Moving into the opening, a creature with the torso of a woman and the body of a snake slithered into the pathway. She had red hair, pale skin and the scales on her tale shimmered with an emerald green. She was completely naked except for a wool satchel draped across her shoulder. With her waist at Tom’s eye level, she was nearly ten feet tall and her snake half stretched behind her for several meters. “I have no intention of helping that demon.” She spat.

“That’s fine with me. I don’t care if you help her” Tom was in a hurry and wanted to avoid an argument. “I’ll tell you everything that I came to say and you can decide what to do with that information. If you don’t want to help, you won’t hurt my feelings.” If she saw Hinba as an enemy then they had that in common. Tom kept his hands up as he spoke. ”The people of the town near Hinba’s cave disappeared. All of them, just gone. There were several oval shaped markings about yay wide.” He moved his hands about a foot across above his head. “-scattered around the building with a red tinge. Hinba mentioned that you use amber stones with your magic. That’s why I’m here.” 

“She thinks I had something to do with it?” Her voice was laced with a fierce venom. 

“Honestly, I doubt it. She didn’t even seem confident that you would know anything about it, but here we are.” Tom considered his next words carefully. “Look, she’s holding me prisoner so I really don’t care what you tell me but,” he pointed to his chest, “This thing allows her to read my mind. If you want to lie to me, feel free. Just please make it believable. If she thinks I pretended to be fooled by something that was obviously untrue… she’ll make my life even more miserable.” 

For a moment she debated whether to pity the human. Reaching into her satchel, she withdrew a small orange rock and tossed it to Tom. Unsure what to think, he flinched slightly before catching the flying object, “Come to your own conclusion, human.” 

Tom examined the object. It was a small piece of amber that seemed to glow orange in the sunlight. It had the same oval shape and fit snugly in the palm of his hand, similar to a small egg but slightly more stretched. “The shape’s right but the size and color are off.”  

“We use them to move around unseen. The magic masks others' perception of the holder. You passed right by me on the path earlier. The only reason I let you live is because I could feel Hinba’s magic on you” she let her words sink in for a moment, “Keep the stone. Don’t let Hinba know you have it and it will keep some of your thoughts hidden from her. The effect will be small so use it wisely. It’s useless if she learns of its existence.”

Tom looked up from the stone, “Why are you helping me?”

“I’m not,” came her reply. “I know Hinba well enough to know that as soon as she gets her claws into a human, they are as good as dead.” Tom winced at her words. “The stone may only make your passing a little easier. We both know how she has a taste for human souls. If she believes you’re unwilling to part with your soul… she might just keep you around.” she trailed off. “I’ve heard she has methods to convince humans to see things her way.” 

“Torture.” Tom finished the thought for her, “You’re saying she’ll just keep me around if I don’t submit willingly?” 

“I’m saying that a quick death might be preferable to life as a pet.”